Banjo ukulele



R.A. CARLUCCI. BANJO UKULELE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31' I921.

Patented Mar. 7 1921 ai: .IF 2? I v 2/ m l/EN TOI] Facco 4N TON/0 624a. ucc/ 7 I ATTORNEYS WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROCCO ANTON IO CARLUCCI, OF WEST NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY.

BAN J 0 UKULELE.

Application filed March 31, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Roooo ANTONIO CARLUOCI, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of WVest New York, in the county of Hudson and State of New ersey, have invented a new and improved Banjo Ukulele, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to stringed musical instruments, and its object is to provide a new and improved banjo-ukulele arranged to give the desired tension to the skin or parchment head to insure a proper sounding of the instrument when played.

Another object is to permit convenient replacing of an injured skin or parchment head by a new one.

iVith these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction as hereinafter shown and described and then specifically pointed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying draw ings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of proved banj o-ukulele Figure 2 .is an inverted plan view of the same; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross section of the same on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

The ring-shaped body 10 of the stringed musical instrument is provided with the usual neck 11, and over the said body 10 and the said neck 11 are stretched the strings 12 passing over a bridge 13 and winding on the tuning pins 14. iVithin the body 10 is arranged a parchment or skin head 15 carrying the bridge 13 and stretched over a ring-shaped pressure member 16 arranged within the opening of the ring-shaped body 10 and-spaced therefrom, as shown in Figure 3. The parchment or skin head 15 is provided at its edge with a flange 17 seated on an angular shoulder or rabbet 18 formed on the inner face of the body 10.

The pressure member 16 is provided with depending integral lugs 20 projecting below the bottom of the body 10 and the said lugs 20 are engaged by the upper face of a sound board 21 preferably of dish shape and adjustably fastened by screws 22 to the im- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 7, 1922. Serial No. 457,221.

the body 10, the said sound board 21 being spaced from the under side of the body 10. It will be noticed that on screwing up the screws 22 the sound board 21 exerts an upward pressure on the lugs 20 and consequently on the pressure ring 16 to tightly stretch the parchment or skin head 15 to the desired degree to insure a proper sounding of the instrument when the strings 12 are played in the usual manner. It will also be noticed that the sound board 21 forms a bottom for the body 10.

In case the parchment or skin head 15 becomes injured it can be readily removed and replaced by a new one, it being only necessary to remove the screws 22 to disconnect the sound board 21 from the body 10 to allow removal of the pressure ring 16 and the parchment or skin head 15. A new skin head can be placed over the pres sure ring 16 and reinserted with the said pressure ring in the opening of the body 10, after which the sound board 21 is fastened to the body by the screws 22, and as this sound board engages the lugs 20 it is evident that the parchment or skin head 15 is stretched to the desired degree by screwing up the screws 22.

The banjo-ukulele shown and described is very simple and durable in construction and its parts are not liable to get easily out of order.

aving thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a stringed musical instrument of the type described, a body, a parchment head held on the said body, a stretching member for the said parchment head, and a sound board held adjustably on the said body and engaging the said stretching memher to give the desired tension to the said parchment head.

2. In a stringed musical instrument of the type described, a ring-shaped body provided at the inner face with an annular shoulder, a parchment head having a flange seated on the said shoulder, a ring over which the said head is stretched and pro vided with lugs projecting below the bot-- tom of the said body, a sound board engaging the said lugs, and means adjustably fastening the said sound board to the said body at the under side thereof.

In a stringed musical instrument of. the type described, a ring-shaped body proof the said body lugs, sound board and engaging the said and screws passing through the said and screwing 1n the under side 10 of the said body to adjust the sound board to give the desired nient head.

ROCCO ANTO tension to the parch- NIO CARLUCCI. 

